Official Luthiers Forum!

I wrote and thought I posted this earlier today - pardon my oops if it
appears twice and/or inconsistent.

#1 - Maple. Like a truly great vanilla ice cream, nothing beats the sweet
smell of freshly bandsawed or beltsanded maple.

#2 - Pine. What a classic! Just think of all the cheesy nasty chemical
things that claim that scent.

#3 - Aromatic Red Cedar. Spicy and appropriate for all occasions - nuff
said.

#4 - Brazilian Rosewood. The smell of money, and possibly why the stuff
is called "rose" wood.

#5 - Walnut. The gin-and-tonic of hardwoods, bitter, stout and solid.

#6 - Genuine Mahogany. Butterscotch, hearty and smooth.

#7 - BIrch. What memories! Nothing less than the smell of Tinker Toys.
Beat that one, you old timers!

#8 - Incense Cedar - A good second best memory - the old school pencil
sharpener. . .

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Frank Ford

FRETS.COM
HomeShopTech
FRETS.NET

Great list Frank, I'd like to see your description of wine, beer, sausage sometime.

I've not the privlege of smelling many woods, but I do have a few fav's

Imbuia, EIR, Cedar, Fir (as in christmas trees )

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[QUOTE=jfrench] Nothing smells better than Spanish Cypress. Maybe not even a girl...[/QUOTE]

Maybe not a girl Josh, but a Woman.....now that's a different matter all together.

(Waiting for the whap from the women of the group    )

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"There's really no wrong way, as long as the results are what's desired." Charles Fox

"We have to constantly remind ourselves what we're doing....No Luthier is putting a man on the moon!" Harry Fleishman

"Generosity is always different in the eye of the person who didn't receive anything, but who wanted some." Waddy Thomson

WHAP!!




Haahahaa...who said MDF???

Indian Rosewood by a long chalk. it smells awesome when sanded, steamed, boiled, fried, fricasseed ...

Cedar smells goregeous too.

I agree with most that Ebony is foul. It's grim getting that black dust up yer nose..Sam Price39043.0760532407

Thanks Sam, I needed that

Oh and I too agree that ebony is nasty smelling stuff.

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"There's really no wrong way, as long as the results are what's desired." Charles Fox

"We have to constantly remind ourselves what we're doing....No Luthier is putting a man on the moon!" Harry Fleishman

"Generosity is always different in the eye of the person who didn't receive anything, but who wanted some." Waddy Thomson

Most Rosewoods are a good bet, but lets not forget Walnut, eh?

(and Zebrawood smells awful).

spanish cedar and brw.
walter

Wormwood! Right, Joshua?

Colin

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I don't believe in anything, I simply make use of a set of reasonable working hypotheses.

when i see da cedar i like to sniff it ....

i try to not breathe at all around ebony

EIR, Port orford cedar, WR cedar, Walnut,

all yummy!!

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Fave is Spanish Cedar.

I also like Limba a lot, not because it evokes anything in particular, but more because it's mysterious but compelling, "why, that smells like ... limba!"

And nobody mentioned plain old cherry. Yum!

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Jim Kirby
kirby@udel.edu

Frank, for a second there i thought you were a Canuck, you picked pretty much my own list!

I would say that i prefer all the coniferous woods, picea abies, epicea glauca, all the cedars and hemlock,

in the hardwoods, maple, EIR, walnut.

Just got a load of tas acacia-- nice soft sweet scent! New to my nose and I like it.
Dean

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Dean

[QUOTE=Dean] Just got a load of tas acacia-- nice soft sweet scent! New to my nose and I like it.
Dean[/QUOTE]

You'll like building with it too!


Someone mentioned Hickory...I like the smell, especially when it's burning under a nice Porterhouse!

Frank Ford, you have a poet's heart...
...and I agree with you on the maple.

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Only badly."

Bois D' Rose - no contest for me...

-Mark

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Imbuyi followed by walnut

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Basswood has a one of kind smell, i made a bit box out of that and every time you open it,,,

i also love Walnut, and the cedars.

Cedar varieties seem to be a fav here. I'd never been around juniper until I moved to New Mexico, and was blown away at its smell. It is exactly like the smell made by the "smoke pellets" I put in my American Flyer train set as a kid, and it brought back memories.

Juniper's foliage looks just like cedar, but the wood is harder. It looks more like a big bush (no political or feminine ref intended) so it would be hard to find a log big enough to quarter saw. But I do have one down in the arroyo that might work some day.

I get my juniper hit chainsawing and burning it in my wood stove. Fills the air outside with tiny locomotives...

Scott

spanish cedar-mmmmm mmmmm and Braz- the smell of moola as Frank said.

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Anderson Guitars
Clearwater,Fl. 33755

Pine! (Pinus sylvestris). Visit a traditional boat builder's workshop, with freshly hewn planks and chips everywhere, and the smell of tar cooking somewhere nearby... MMmmmm!

Juniper! (Juniperus communis). We use the berries to spice up the sauce with deer or moose meat. I made archery bows fro my kids from it a couple of months ago; made me remember how wonderful it smells when worked in the green.

Birch (Betula pubescens). The most common hardwood up here, it is what my grandfathers shop smelled like. Among its many uses is as stick in the bottom of the kettle when we steam "pinnekjott" (a traditional sheep rib dish), it gives the meat just the right aroma.

Great, now I'm hungry!

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Rian Gitar og Mandolin

Okay Colin has got me. I'm not afraid to admit when I am wrong. Wormwood may be a more rewarding scent than Spanish Cypress...

[and women do too]jfrench39043.4026851852

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Spanish cedar...it reminds me of a cigar humidor.

Flamewood...it smells like cinamon, real spicy.

I've never had the opportunity to smell BRW, I would sure like it...someday...

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Joe Breault
Merrimack, NH
Perpetual novice

Kevin,

I love that story. I hope you write that up as a keepsake to pass on to future generations in your family.

I love walnut and pine, the woods that take me back. BRW is real pleasant too.

Frank, with those flowery descriptions, you should be writing copy for wine boutique ads.

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now known around here as Pat Foster
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http://www.patfosterguitars.com

Ceylon satinwood
Sort of a vanilla type scent.
especially when bending it.